TL;DR
- Tubi, the Fox-owned free streaming platform, now features content from top YouTube creators including Mythical Entertainment, Watcher, and more.
- The Creators program introduces 500+ videos to attract younger, digital-native viewers.
- This move mirrors efforts by Peacock and others to tap influencer followings.
- With YouTube commanding 12.5% of U.S. TV viewership, Tubi’s 2.2% share signals room for growth.
- Tubi plans to scale the program to include thousands more creator-led videos in 2025.
Tubi Courts Gen Z with YouTube Creator Collaborations
In a strategic effort to deepen its relevance among younger audiences, Fox-owned streamer Tubi has officially launched a new Creators program, showcasing content from well-known YouTubers and social-first creators. The move reflects a broader industry trend toward platform diversification and audience segmentation in the competitive AVOD (ad-supported video on demand) landscape.
Announced on June 18, 2025, the program debuts with over 500 videos across multiple formats, styles, and fandoms. Key participating partners include Mythical Entertainment, Watcher, Jubilee, Dan and Riya, FunnyMike, and Kinigra Deon—creators whose collective reach spans tens of millions of subscribers.
Tubi is clearly betting that creator-led content will drive viewer stickiness, boost ad inventory, and narrow the viewership gap with platforms like YouTube, which currently holds the largest share of streaming viewership in the U.S.
AVOD Streaming Share (May 2025)
| Platform | % of TV Viewership | Source |
| YouTube | 12.50% | Nielsen Gauge Report |
| Tubi | 2.20% | Nielsen Gauge Report |
| Peacock (NBCU) | 1.80% | Nielsen Gauge Report |
YouTube Talent Meets Longform Streaming
While YouTube creators traditionally dominate on mobile and short-form platforms, Tubi’s pivot to hosting episodic content from these stars reflects a shift in how Gen Z consumes media. Each creator brings signature programming that already enjoys loyal fandoms.
Key additions to the platform include:
- Mythical Entertainment’s Last Meals, a culinary interview series hosted by Josh Scherer.
- Dan and Riya’s Beverly Valley High, a scripted high school comedy.
- FunnyMike’s Mr. Creepy Eyes, a chaotic comedy hit among younger audiences.
- Jubilee’s Odd One Out and Ranking—formats focused on social experiments and ethics.
- Kinigra Deon’s scripted dramedy trilogies like Vampire Siblings and College Life.
- Watcher’s cult-followed series like Ghost Files and Puppet History.
These additions offer a blend of unscripted drama, sketch comedy, and experimental storytelling formats—genres that perform well in both ad-supported and on-demand environments.
Why This Move Matters for Tubi—and the Industry
This is not Tubi’s first foray into spotlighting emerging creative voices. The company previously launched Stubios, a playfully branded studio initiative encouraging independent filmmakers to pitch original content. It also collaborated with Kickstarter to feature crowdfunded films, signaling early intentions to platform user-generated storytelling.
What’s new is the strategic focus on social-native creators whose content has proven stickiness across platforms, with minimal production spend. This allows Tubi to:
- Acquire cost-effective content without licensing from traditional studios
- Tap into established audiences without building from scratch
- Differentiate its offering from rivals like Roku Channel, Pluto TV, and Freevee
According to Fox’s internal Q1 2025 earnings report, Tubi has over 80 million monthly active users—but its engagement metrics still trail significantly behind YouTube and TikTok. The Creators program is a direct response to this engagement gap.
Learning from Peacock: Training the Influencer Generation
Tubi’s strategy echoes efforts by NBCUniversal’s Peacock, which has been investing in training TikTok stars to become long-form creators. Rather than rely on studio-built programming alone, streamers are increasingly treating social video stars as IP themselves.
This shift reflects a broader transition in media where:
- The creator economy is converging with premium streaming
- User attention is no longer platform-bound
- Creators are becoming franchises, not just personalities
By onboarding YouTubers with evergreen content, Tubi positions itself as a hybrid AVOD/UGC ecosystem, similar in spirit to how Spotify has blended professional music with user-hosted podcasts.
More Creators, More Formats, More Data
Tubi has committed to expanding the Creators program with thousands of additional videos in the coming months. This will include new partnerships, mini-series, and even original programming deals with high-performing influencers.
For advertisers, this means a significant uptick in high-engagement inventory tied to demographic targets (e.g., fans of comedy, young adults, multicultural audiences). For creators, it opens up licensing and syndication opportunities traditionally reserved for broadcast producers.
The feedback loop is powerful:
- Creator uploads content to YouTube
- Builds audience + format proof
- Tubi offers syndication + ad revenue
- Viewer discovers longer-format on Tubi
- Creator scales brand across formats
It’s a model that could reshape how long-form streaming catalogs are built over the next five years.
Strategic Bet or Smart Hedge?
In many ways, Tubi’s Creator program is a hedge against studio-led saturation. With streaming giants locked in IP battles and escalating content budgets, Tubi is choosing agility over ambition.
What the company lacks in prestige originals like Netflix’s Bridgerton or Disney+’s The Acolyte, it makes up for in authenticity, relatability, and platform-native personalities.
If successful, Tubi could position itself as the first truly creator-powered AVOD—bridging the world of mobile fandoms with TV-scale monetization.
Final Word: UGC Goes Prime Time
As creator influence continues to extend beyond social platforms, streamers like Tubi are stepping up to serve, monetize, and scale creator IP in new ways.
The lines between YouTube and traditional television are increasingly blurred. With smart curation and direct partnerships, Tubi may carve out a unique lane as the Netflix of User-Generated Originals.
For creators, it’s validation. For viewers, it’s variety. And for Tubi, it’s smart business.
